Flexible garment-fastener



M. W. EARNSHAW.

FLEXIBLE GARMENT FASTENER.

APPLICATION FI LED NOV, 29, I920.

Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

* UNITED srArEs' rATENT OFFICE.

MARGARET W. EARNSI-IAW, OIE GLENCOE, ILLINOIS.

FLEXIBLE GARMENT-FASTENER.

childrens garments in which the activity.

of the child imposes excessive strains upon the buttons or other fastening devices.

One ofthe primary purposes of my present inventionis to provideafastener adapted to be attached to garments of various characters, which will possess considerable flexibility and elasticity so that the fastener will not be torn from the garment by excessive strains imposed thereon, but Wlll yield under the strains, thereby saving the fabric of the garment, as well as the fastener itself. e

Other objects and advantages of my in vention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following description, when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a back view of a garment with my invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view showing the different parts of the garment adapted to be secured together by my improved fastener;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary View showing my invention viewed from. the rear;

Fig. 4: is a sectional view on the line 4.-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a similar view on an enlarged scale, showing the position of the parts when under strain; and

Fig. 6 is a detailed view of the fastener.

While my improved fastener, as previously stated, is capable of a Wide variety of uses, I have shown it in the present instance for purposes of illustration, as applied to a childs garment, of the character commonly known as a romper. This garment, as shown in Fig. 1, consists of a body portion Specification of Letters Patent.

7 and a trousers portion 8, which is customarily made so as to provide a drop seat. The body portion opens down the backand is fastened by a row of buttons 9, and the drop seat is held up by the side buttons 11 obviate-these difficulties, my present invention is designed to provide a flexible fastener at this point, which will yield under the strains imposed thereon without tearing from its anchorage or causing injury to the button holes.

In accordance with my invention, there fore, instead of sewing the center button 12 directly to the under-ply 13 of the body portion of the garment, I employ at this point a button having a long shank 14, the inner end of which is secured by stitching 15 to a strip 16 of elastic material, the button being secured to the strip intermediate the ends thereof. at the place where the button is usually sewed on with a button hole 17, through which the shank 14 of the button extends, as will be evident from Fig. 4, and the ends of this flexible strip are secured by stitching 18 to the inner face of the ply 13.

The outer ply 19 of the body portion is provided with the usual button hole 21, which is buttoned over the button 12 in the usual manner, and the waist band 22 of the Patented Aug. 30, 1921.

Application filed November 29, 1920. Serial No. 426,927. 5

The ply 13 is provided,

drop seat is likewise provided with a central button hole 23 adapted to be engaged with the button 12. When the parts are all buttoned together, they are held by the fastener the same as they are with an ordinary button, but when excessive strains are imposed upon the parts and particularly, upon the band 22, the button, instead of tearing off or tearing out the button holes, yields, in the manner disclosed in Fig. 5. In other words, when the waistband is pulled downwardly or outwardly, or both, the elastic strip 16, to the center of which the button shank is attached, stretches and pulls through the button holes 17 and 21, thus accommodating itself to the strains without injury to the button or to the fabric plies in which the button holes are located. When the strain is released, the elasticity of the strip 16 will return the parts to the normal position shown in Fig. 4 so that the fastener possesses all of the functions and advantages of an ordinary button, and in addition thereto, the advantage of flexibility and elasticity, which materially increases the longevity of the garment.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that T have provided a fastener which, while simple in construction and cheap to manufacture, obviates tearing out of the button holes or the tearing off of the buttons, as well as providing a flexibility and elasticity in the garment which greatly adds to the comfort of the wearer. 7

It is believed that my invention will be understood from the foregoing without further description, and it should be manifest that it is capable of embodiment in forms differing materially from that disclosed in the drawings for purposes of illustration, without departing from the essence of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination with a garment comprising a plurality of overlapping plies provided with alined button holes, of a strip of elastic material extending across the button hole of the inner ply and secured to the inner face of said ply remote from said button hole therein, and a button having an elongated shank extending through said alined button holes and secured to said strip of elastic material, said button hole being adapted to permit a fold of said strip to be drawn therethrough when outward pull is exerted upon the head of said button.

2. The combination of a garment, comprising a plurality of plies provided with alined button holes, a strip of elastic material secured at its ends to the inner face of the inner ply and overlying said button holes, and a button extending through said button holes and attached to said strip, said button holes being wider than said strip.

8. The combination "of a garment, comprising a body portion adapted to button up the back, the plies of said bodyportion being provided near the bottom with alined button holes, a strip of elastic material secured to the inner face of the inner ply'and extending across the button hole therein, a button secured to said strip intermediate the ends thereof and adapted to extend through said alined button holes, and a trousers portion provided with a button hole adapted to engage with said button, said body button holes being wider than said strip to permit a loop of said strip to be drawn by said button through said holes. 4. In a garment, comprising a plurality of overlapping plies provided with alined button holes, the combination of a strip of elastic material extending across the button hole in one of said plies and secured at its ends to said ply remote from said button hole, and a button attached to said strip between its ends so that the shank of said but ton is disposed through said button hole, said strip being narrower than said button holes to permit a fold of the strip to be drawn through the button holes by said button.

MARGARET w. ,EARNSHAW. 

